Arkadelphia man pleads innocent in double homicide
An Arkadelphia man accused in the shooting deaths of two women at a Hot Springs apartment complex Saturday evening pleaded not guilty to all charges Monday in Garland County District Court.
Corey Demond Smith, 38, who was taken into custody on Highway 70 east in Saline County after a high-speed pursuit by multiple law enforcement agencies, appeared via video and pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, punishable by up to life in prison, and one count of felony fleeing in a vehicle, punishable by up to six years.
A felony review hearing to determine if the charges are to be bound over to Garland County Circuit Court is set for Aug. 24, as is a bond hearing if the case has not been bound over before then. Judge Ralph Ohm also issued a court order barring Smith from contact with the residents of the Ashley Kate Apartments, 935 Akers Road, where the shooting occurred, as well as any of the victims’ families or witnesses in the case.
The names of the victims had not been released as of Monday
and were not included in the probable cause affidavit filed Monday.
In addition to the felony charges, Smith was cited for numerous traffic violations stemming from the pursuit, including reckless driving, careless and prohibited driving, speeding, failure to stop at a red light, improper or unsafe lane change, driving too close, failure to maintain control, failure to yield at an intersection and failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.
Smith was on parole at the time of his arrest and is being held on a zero bond parole hold. According to court records, he was convicted of robbery on July 15,
2001, in Clark County and sentenced to
40 years in prison and convicted of second-degree escape on Nov. 13, 2002, also in Clark County, and sentenced to six years in prison.
The affidavit also indicates he was convicted of a felony in 2012 in Clark County and was sentenced to five years in prison followed by five years’ probation.
According to the narrative portion of the affidavit, shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday, the Garland County Sheriff’s Office received multiple calls indicating two people had been shot at 935 Akers Road. One caller stated a female neighbor had been shot by her boyfriend and that he also killed the apartment manager.
Callers gave a description of the suspect vehicle as a white Chrysler with “Hemi” across the brow, big chrome rims and a sunroof. While en route to the location, sheriff’s deputies spotted a white Chrysler matching the description on Malvern Avenue headed into Hot Springs.
Deputies attempted a traffic stop on the car, determined to be a 2011 Chrysler
300, but the driver, later identified as Smith, refused to stop. A pursuit ensued and the Arkansas State Police was called for assistance. ASP troopers executed a PIT, or Precision Immobilization Technique, maneuver on the car on Highway
70 east in Saline County.
Smith, the lone occupant of the car, was then apprehended without further incident, the affidavit states.
Patrol deputies did locate two deceased females on the upper deck area of Building C in front of Apartment 9. Expended shell casings were located by deputies “in the area of the deceased.”
Multiple witnesses from the apartment complex were later interviewed and three witnesses stated they observed a man known to them as Corey shoot the two women. They said the man then walked down the stairwell, got into the described Chrysler car and drove away from the scene.
Garland County Sheriff Mike McCormick praised the actions of his deputies on Saturday, prior to the gag order being issued, telling The Sentinel-Record they did “an outstanding job locating the vehicle within minutes of the call coming in.”
“We certainly appreciate all the assistance from the state police and the (Hot Springs) police department,” McCormick said. “It’s a good example of all of the agencies working together to a successful conclusion.”